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A CHILLING TALE
The
GREAT COLD RUSH of 2021
THE TEMPERATURES plummeted. Then they stayed in a free fall for days. The snow arrived. Then it returned. By the time the week of Valentine’s Day 2021 had concluded, Arlington and the surrounding areas had experienced the most chilling – and devastating – winter storm in recent history. By Feb. 16, the thermometer would show a temperature of 0° in many reaches. The snowfall would measure more than four inches in most neighborhoods. But the measurement that mattered most to area residents came in the way of despair and, sometimes, panic, when they would watch their homes go dark and wait for hours – even days – for electricity to return. The “lucky” family members and friends took in their less fortunate counterparts, several thousands of them. A lot of them stayed for days. Pipes began breaking to spur gushing fountains that soon became ice sculptures that weren’t appreciated at all. Meanwhile, the water supply became another victim of the storm, as both its quantity and quality waned throughout the worst stretch of time many people could remember. And they were still remembering the pandemic. Years from now, we’ll all remember the winter of 2021. And we’ll probably think twice about wishing for a “snow day.”
Photos courtesy of the Cities of Arlington and Grand Prairie & various residents
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ARLINGTON TODAY • March 2021 • arlingtontoday.com
